Fire-partition.



No. '760,434'. PATBNTED MAY 24, 1904. J. w. RENO. PIRE PARTITION.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1903. N0 IODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

w: Nonms Films Cc. Pauw-Luna, wAsHmsvoN, u c.

PATENTBD MAY 24, 1904.

J. RENO. FIRE PARTITIUN. APPLIoATIoN FILED SEPT. 17, 190s.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

s 6l/Witnesses m: Nonrns Evans no, Pumaurnu., wAsNmnToN. n: n.

'Nm 760,484. PATENTED'MAY 24, 1904.

J. W. RENO.

FIRE PARTITION.

APPLIUATION FILED s112111, 1903. No nonni.. 'a SHEETS-SHEET a.

m: Nonms Evans nu. PHoaLlTno., wAsmNGToM. c.

Patented May 24, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE WV. RENO, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

FIRE-PARTITION.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 760,484, dated May 24, 1904.

Application filed September 17, 1903. Serial No. 173,517. (No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, JEssn W'. RENO, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident ofthe city, county, and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Fire-Partitions, of which the .following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire-partition s-that is, to partitions which are adapted to close eominto the elevator-shaft and from one story to` another. rlhe elevator-shaft, in fact, in cases of lire often becomes a veritable chimney, causing' a draft which greatly increases the rapidity of the spread of fire. In many eases where the elevators might otherwise be of the greatest service in saving life and property during the early stages of a lire their use is made impossible on account of the smoke which finds its way into theelevator-shaft. In many cases, as in large department-stores, a small lire upon one floor may cause immense damage to goods and even loss of life on other floors merely because of the smoke l, which travels up the elevator-shaft from the floor on which the lire is located.

It is the object of my invention to provide a partition especially applicable to elevator shafts which under ordinary circumstances, as during business hours, may be open for the free and convenient passage of light and air, and which during times when the building is not occupied and in case of fire may be closed, so as to be practically air-tight, and thus prevent the formation of strong drafts of air, smoke, or fire in the elevator-shaft, and effectually prevent the passage of smoke from one story to another.

My invention consists in forming a partition, preferably of non-combustible material, of two or more layers or thicknesses movable with reference to each other and perforated by openings which may be brought into register to permit the passage of light and air and which may be moved or shifted relative to each other to close said perforations.

My invention consists, further, in novel arrangements and details of construction to be hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a portion of an elevator-shaft provided with the preferred form of my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section of an elevator-shaft provided with means for operating the partitions on three sides from a single point. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of a panel of an elevatorshaft provided with my invention. Fig. L is a section on line a a of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a modified form of my invention in which more than two plates are used. Fig. 6 is a section on line b of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a similar section showing the partition closed.

The reference characters are used in the Same sense in the drawings and the specification.

N umerall represents a section of an elevator-shaft between the two floors 2 and 3. Elevator-shafts are usually rectangular in form, and the sides are generally composed of a llower imperforate panel extending part way up from the floor, and an upper panel 4, which during normal conditions, when the elevator is in use, it is desirable to have open for the free passage of light and air.

5 represents a fixed partition-plate made preferably of sheet metal and secured in any convenient manner to the framework of the elevator-shaft and provided with perforations or openings 6 of convenient size.

7 represents a movable partition-plate slidably mounted on the plate 5, having perfora tions or openings 8 of the same size and shape as the perforations 6 in plate 5, with.V which they are adapted to register when the firepartition is open. The plate 7 is also provided with parallel slots 9, in which are received the rivets 36, which pass through said slots and are fixed in the plate 5. The plates IOO 7 are thus secured to the plates 5, but are permitted to have a movement on said plates transversely to the longitudinal axis of the openings 8.

10 represents racks secured to the plates 7 and adapted to engage the gear-Wheels 11, mounted on the shaft 12. The shaft 12 is mounted in bearings 13. During part of the circumference of the gear-wheels 11 ratchetteeth 14 are provided, which are adapted to be engaged by the pawl 15. The pawl 15 is provided with the lug 16, which acts as an armature for the magnet 17.

18 represents a lever secured to the shaft 12, and 19 a chain secured to the lever 18.

2O represents springs secured to the movable plate 7, which act upon said plate to move it in a direction to close the openings 8.

Ordinarily only three sides of the elevatorshaft will be provided with my lire-partition, as the remaining side will be controlled by the ordinary elevator-doors, which, however, are imperforate, so as to prevent the passage of smoke and air through said doors when they are closed, or these doors may themselves be provided with my improved lirepartition.

The operation of my improvements is as follows: During the ordinary use of the elevator the parts will be in a position shown in Figs.

1, 3, and 4-that is, the movable plate 7 will be in a position in which the openings therein register with the openings in the iixed'plate 5. When, however, it is desired to close the partition, the/pawl 15 is released lfrom the ratchet 14, and the springs 2() act upon the movable plate 7, causing it to `close the openings in the partition.

The pawl 15 may be operated by hand, or it may be operated by the magnet 17, and the magnet 17 may be controlled by a push-button located in any coni venient place, or it may be controlled by thermostat in a manner that is well under-s stood. tion, the chain 19 is pulled down and the plate Then it is desired'to open the partiwithout departing from the spirit and scope 7 raised to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated a means fory op- 1 erating the fire-partitions on the several sides of the elevator-shaft simultaneously. These means consist in the shafts 21, 22, and 23 and i provided with bevel-gears 24, fixed to the ends of said shafts and engaging each other, so as g to cause all of the shafts to operate in unison.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5, 6, and

Two movshaft. 31 represents sprocket-wheels fixed to said shaft, which are engaged by the sprocketchains 32, one end of each of said chains being fixed to the movable plate 28 and the other end to the movable plate 29. From this construction it is obvious that as the shaft 30 is rotated the plates 28 and 29 will be caused to move in opposite directions either to open or close the perforations or openings 26 in the fixed partition-plate. By means of this construction I am enabled to increase relatively the size of the openings in the partition, which, under some circumstances, may be desirable, and it is obvious that the relative size of the openings may be still further increased by a further increase in the number of plates employed. Y

Where three plates are used, the width of the opening is two times the width of the bar. Vhere four plates are used, it is three times, and so on, the width of the opening in each casebeing substantially equal to the number of plates less one multiplied by the width of the bar.

In the cross-sectional view in Fig. 6 the openings areshown fully uncovered or the partition fully open. In Fig. 7 the partition is shown fully closed. For convenience: of illustration the thickness of the plates, as shown in the drawings, is relatively much greater than would occur in practice, and when the plates are closed a small opening 33 is shown still to exist. This opening, however, in practice .is 'relatively so small as to be of comparatively slight importance. Even this opening may, however, be reduced or eliminated by a slight offset in the edge 34 of the plate 29 or the edge 35 of the plate 28 or olfsets in the edges of both plates.

It is obvious that the contours of the openings in the plates may be changed in a variety of ways and that the particular mechof my invention.

Having thus -described my invention, what I claim isl Y 1. In an elevator-shaft, the combination with fixed perforated partitions arranged upon a plurality of the sides of the elevator-shaft, movable partitions mounted upon said xed partitions having perforations therein adapted to register with the perforations in said fixed partitions and means for simultaneously operating said movable partitions to open and close said perforations.

2. A fire-partition for elevator-shafts and the like, comprising a plurality of non-combustible plates having elongated openings therein and intervening bars, said plates being slidably secured, 'face to face, and the Width of the openings therein being substantially equal to the width of as many bars as there are plates, less the width of one bar,

.I OO

IIO

' perforations adapted to register with those of the fixed plate, racks secured to the ends of said movable plate, a rook-shaft mounted in iixed bearings and gears fixed to said roekshaft adapted to engage said racks.

5. In a fire-partition, the combination with a iixed plate, of a movable plate mounted on either side of said lixed plate, rectangular openings in all oit' said plates forming bars between said rectangular openings of a width substantially equal to one-half the width of said openlngs, and means ior connecting' said `movable plates whereby they are caused to move in opposite directions to open and close said openings.

6. In a fire-partition for elevator-shafts, the combination with a plurality of perforated plates ixed to sides of the elevator-shaft, oi movable perforated plates slidably mounted on said fixed plates, shafts mounted on the sides of said elevator-shaft in geared connection, and connections between said shafts and said movable plates.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciiieation in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JESSE W. RENO." Witnesses:

ELLA SUCH, CHARLES H. Lovnr'r. 

